One Great Portable Power System

After you've owned six or seven laptops and purchased a pricey extra AC adapter for each, you realize that the computer industry is long past due for a universal power adapter. Until they come up with one, I carry the $90 everywhereMax Laptop Charger. It has swappable "tips" so it can power a wide array of laptops. It also charges mobile and smartphones, MP3 players, digital cameras, and other portable devices. I leave all my device-specific chargers at home and travel with the everywhereMax. If you can't bring yourself to buy a universal power supply, at least invest in a Zip-Linq. It's a retractable cable that saves space and eliminates clutter in your carry-on bag.

One Great Plug Adapter

The world is full of great universal plug adapters, but I still see far too many business travelers carrying around a bag of adapters that look like they were purchased around 1980. It's the 21st century, folks. Adapt your adapters already. The one I carry costs $14 and is a marvel of design: Most of the world's plugs in a 2-by-2.5-by-3-inch block. It even has a USB power port. And even though most electronic devices now have built-in voltage converters for multinational use, some travelers still prefer to carry an external converter too. The $60 Travelon from Magellan bundles a current and voltage adapter, a universal plug adapter system, and a USB power port in one five-ounce package.

One Great External Drive

I'm an electronic generation behind because I'm still using thumb drives for my external data-storage needs on the road. But the world now belongs to huge-capacity external hard drives that fit in your pocket. The OWC Mercury doesn't even require an AC adapter. Its 3.5-by-5.5-by-1-inch drives, which store up to one terabyte of data, can be powered by FireWire and USB ports. The eGo Portable hard drives come in stylish colors (red, silver, blue, and black), are even smaller than the OWC Mercury, and look vaguely like hip flasks. Prices for external hard drives start at about $75 depending on storage capacity.

The Fine Print…

See some obvious omissions on my list? I don't carry noise-canceling headsets (David Rowell, the Travel Insider, reviews them all); use online travel-organizing sites (try TripIt or Traxo); or travel with an MP3 player (I use my BlackBerry's more-than-adequate built-in music system). And I gave up my dual-time watch years ago since my BlackBerry and my laptop each have a clock that I can set as needed.